The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1887-05-11

| ten-pin alley. Such men may build up pal
| aces Of merchandise heaven high, tut after
awhile e. disaster will come along. and put
| one hand on that pillar, and throw itself for
ward until down will come the whole struct-
ure, crushing the worshipperS as grapes are
mashed in wlne-preSS.
Then there are boys in establishments who
| are ruined-in prosperous eStabllShments-
ruined by their lack Of compensation. In how
many prosperous stores it has been for the
past twenty years that boys were given just
enough money to learn them to steal! Some
were seized by the police. TEevast ma jority
of instances were not known. The head of
the firm asked: "Where is George now" 80,
he isn't here any more" A lad might better
| starve to death on blasted heath than take
one cent from his employer. Woe be to that
employer who unnecessarily puts temptation
| III n boys way. There have been great
| establishments in these cities building
| millions, and millions, and millions, who
made vast amount of their estate out Of the
| blood, muscles, and nerves Of half-paid
clerks. Such men as-well. / will not mention
| any name But mean men who have gath
| cred up vast estates at the expense Of the peO-
| pie who were ground under their heel. Co."
| say such merchants, "if you don't like it here,
then go and get better place" AS much as
to say: Give got you under my grip, and
mean to hold you; you can't get any other
place" o, what contrast we see between such
| men and those Christian mercants Of Brook
| lyn and New York who day are sympathetic
with their clerks-when they pay the salary,
acting in this way: "This salary that give
you is not all my interest in yon. You are
an immortal man; you are an immortal
woman; am interested in your present and
understand that, if am little higher up in
this store, 1 am beside you in Christian
sympathy" Go back forty years to Arthur
Happens store in New York-a
man whose worst enemie, never
questioned his honesty. Every morning, he
brought all the clerks, and the accountants,
and the weighers into room for devotion.
On Monday morning the clerks were asked
where they had attended church on the pre-
vious day, and what the sermons were about.
1t must have sounded strangely, that
voice of praise along the streets
were counting their golden beads. You
say, Arthur Tappen failed. Yes, he was un-
fortunate, like great many good men; but
I understand he met all his obligations before
he left this world, and know that he died in
the peace of the Gospel, and that he is before
the throne of God to-day-foreyer blessed. If
that be failing, wish that you might all fail.
There are a great many young men in this
city-yea, in this housewife want word
of encouragement, Christian encouragement.
One smile Of good cheer would be worth more
to them tomorrow morning in their places OF
lars ten years hence. Oh, remember the
apprehension and the tremor Of entering
profession. remember very well the man
who greeted me in the ecclesiastical court
with the tip ends of the long fingers of the left
hand; and remember the other man who took
my hand in both of his, and said: "God
piess you, my brother; you have entered
He will see you through" Why, I feel this
minute the thrill Of that hand-shaking,
though the man who gave me the Christian
grip has been in heaven twenty-five years.
There are old men to-day who can look back
to forty years ago, when some one said kind
word to them. Now, old men, pay back
what you got then. 1t is great art for old
men to be able to encourage the young.
There are many. young people In our cities
who have come from inland counties Of our
own State-from the granite hills of the
North, from the savannas Of the South, from
the prairies of the West. They are here to
get their fortune They are in boarding
houses where everybody seems to be
thinking Of himself. They want COM
panionship, and they want Christian
encouragement. Give it to them. MY
WOTu - W oil Clcl hS Ill IulS uOuSSs oc
ier than Your temptations A Sandwish Isl
ander used to think when he slew an enemy.
all the strength of that enemy came into his
own right arm. And have to tell you that
every misfortune you conquer IS 50 much
added to your moI al power. With omnipo-
tence for lever, and the throne of Ged for
fulcrum, you can moe earth and heaven
While there are other young men putting the
cup of sin to their lips, stoop down
l., 30 fbo ntoin NJ God and
you will rise up strong to thresh the noun
tains. The ancients used to think that pearls
were fallen rain drops, which, touching the
surface Of the sea, hardened into gems, then
dropped to the bottom. have to tell you to-
day that storms of trial have showered i'm
perishable pearl into many young mans lap
D, young man, while you have goods to sell,
remember you have soul to save. In hos
pital a Christian captain, wounded few days
before, got delirious, and in the midnight
hour he sprang out on the floor of the hospital,
thinking he was in the battle. crying: Come
on, boys! Forward! Charge" ALI! he was
only battling the spectres of his own brain.
But it is no imaginary conflict into which l
call you, young man, to-day. There are ten
thousand spiritual foes that would capture
you. In the name OF God up and at them,
after the last bank has gone down, after the
shuttle of the quick feet on the Custom House
steps has stopped, after the long line of
merchantmen on the sea have taken sail OF
flame, after Brooklyn, and New York, and
London, and Vienna, have gone down in the
grave where Thebes, and Babylon, and Tyre
bells bells of the Judgment.Day have tolled
at the burning of a world-on that day, all
the affairs of banking houses and stores will
come I'D for inspection. O, what an opening
of account books. Side by side, the clerks
and the men who employed then-the people
who owned thread an i-needle stores on the
same footing with the Stewlrts, and the
Delanos, and the Ab5otts, and the Barings:
Every invoice made out-all the laoeis OF
poods-all certificates Of stock-a!l lists OF
9rices-all private marks Of the firm, now ex-
blamed so everybody can understand them.
All the maps of cities that were never built,
but in which lots were sold. All bargains.
An gougings. All snap judgments. All false
entries. All adulteration of liquors with cop
peras and strychnine. All mixing of teas,
and sugars, and coffees, and syrups, with
cheaper material. All embezzlements OF trust
funds. All swindles in coal, and iron, and
oil. and silver and stocks All Swartouts, and
Huntinetons, and Ketchums On that day,
when the cities of this world are smoking In
, the last conflagration, the trial Will 60
on: and down in an avalanche OF de,
struction will go those who wronged
man or woman, insulted God and
defied the Judgment. o, that will be great
day for you, honest Christian clerk! No,get-
ting up early; no retiring, late; no walking
around with weary limbs; but manson IN
which to live, and a realm Of light, and love,
and ioy over which to hold everlasting do
minion. Hoist him up from glory to glory,
and from song to song, and from
throne to throne; for while others 60 down
into the sea with their gold like milestone hang
ing to their neck this one shall come up the
heights of amethyst and alabaster, holding IN
his right hand the pearl sf great price In
sparkling, glittering, flaming casket: